Gutter assemblies are commonly mounted along the edge of a roof to receive rainwater from the roof and direct the rainwater to a downspout which facilitates the removal of the water from the proximity of the building or structure supporting the roof. Generally, such gutter assemblies include open-topped channel members. These channel members tend to accumulate leaves, twigs, degraded roofing material and other like debris. The debris restricts the flow of rainwater within the channel member resulting in the blockage or clogging of the gutter assembly and/or downspout. Once a blockage develops, the debris has to be cleared from the channel member so as to render it operational. Depending upon the environment in which the gutter assembly is located, such as in the proximity of trees, the gutter assembly may have to be cleared on a regular basis to prevent clogging or blockage.
The prior art provides various devices for cleaning debris from a gutter assembly. Some of these prior art devices have the cleaning system incorporated or integrated into the gutter assembly. An example of such a system may be found in Ruttenberg U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,281 which discloses a debris removal device having a movable, mesh-like conveyor belt covering the open, top end of the channel member which is adapted to transport debris longitudinally toward one end of the gutter assembly for collection and removal. Another example of such device may be found in Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,709 which discloses a gutter assembly having a channel member with a flexible liner member mounted therein. The channel member is cleared by pumping air between the liner and channel member. The air causes the liner to balloon up out of the channel member pushing the debris which has collected on the liner out through the top of the channel member.